PARS star Aaron Comrie is confident their form will turn and admits he was happy to return to his most natural position at the weekend.

The 24-year-old, who was voted the DAFC Centenary Club Lifeline Player of the Year by fans last season for his consistency at right back, was on familiar ground as boss Peter Grant played a four-man defence for the visit of Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

Dunfermline had picked up just one point from four Championship games, conceding 11 goals in the process, while playing with a back three but the change of shape had a positive impact in the shape of a first clean sheet this season.

The point gained against the Highlanders, however, still leaves Athletic winless at the foot of the division, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Hamilton Academical, and next Wednesday’s rearranged trip to Raith Rovers.

Speaking to Press Sport, Comrie believes that the Caley match is the most comfortable he’s felt this season but admits he and his team-mates need to start picking up wins fast.

“I think everyone can see I look the most comfortable in that right back spot but anywhere the manager tells me to play, I’ll play, and try to do it to the best of my ability,” he said.

“Definitely on Saturday it’s probably the most comfortable I’ve felt. I know that right channel well – take me out of that channel and I’m hopeless!

“Back to basics is probably the best way to sum it up. I thought we defended really well apart from maybe one time where Inverness had a good couple of chances but, in the main, there was that will to defend. As a team performance it was better to play in as well.

“There’s been that emphasis again on Monday and Tuesday in training about defending well as a unit, and it’s not just the back four – it’s as a team.

“It’s not been a bad thing learning different parts, especially a wing back role, it’s maybe opened my eyes a wee bit to what I need to do better and contribute a wee bit more going forward. I think my strength is that defensive part so, although it’s not gone well, I think it’s opened my eyes up a little bit.

“I think the boys just need that first win; it’s not all doom and gloom. We’re early in the season, there’s a long way to go, but I think getting that first win will help us kick-start the season and it needs to be done fast because we can’t let it keep going on.

“We’ve got the perfect opportunity on Saturday with a home game, and then the derby game to look forward to during the week.

“I remember the first year I came to the club, we struggled for that first win, and I’m not exactly sure when it did come but it was probably similar timing to this season, and then last season we had the pressure of the play-offs as well.

“We’ve got an old enough group, and good enough players, to get us out of this position and off the bottom of the league.

“Everyone’s confident we’ll turn things around.”

Comrie missed last month’s abandoned derby in Kirkcaldy as his partner was giving birth to his son, who is now four-and-a-half-weeks-old, and joked that the power failure that saw the game halted had worked out well from his point of view.

While adapting to a new-born has been a tough but rewarding transition, wins in their next two outings are uppermost on his mind, and he reckons there are plenty of plusses to take from the Inverness match, not least a first shut-out of the season.

“We had two really good chances in the last 10 minutes but the main positive was the team performance and attitude,” he added.

“There was a real desire to do well – not that there’s not been there before – but I think the fans really got behind us and I think that helped.”